UC Davis to Ship Dirt and Seeds Back to Native Tribes—Heritage or Gardening?
Published Date: 12/16/2025
Notice
Summary
UC Davis is planning to return two sets of important cultural items, like seeds and soil samples, to Native American tribes connected to the Sacramento area. This repatriation can start on or after January 15, 2026. No money changes hands, but the university is making sure these items go back to the right people with care and respect.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Two Cultural Lots Returned to Tribes
The University of California, Davis intends to return two lots of objects of cultural patrimony from site CA-SAC-497 — one box of botanical material (soil, seeds, charcoal flotation samples) and one lot of unidentified missing material — to Native American groups with cultural affiliation, including the Wilton Rancheria. The repatriation may occur on or after January 15, 2026, and the notice indicates the university will handle the items with appropriate care.
Who Can Request Repatriation and Timing
Lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations may submit written requests for repatriation and must show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are lineal descendants or culturally affiliated. If requests compete, UC Davis will determine the most appropriate requestor; repatriation to a requestor may occur on or after January 15, 2026.
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